The Japan Association of Athletics Federations is considering changing the national marathon team selection process for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a bid to bring more transparency to the procedure, a source close to the situation said Wednesday.
Under the envisioned plan, two of Japan's three spots each for men and women will be filled by the country's top two finishers for each gender at a qualifying competition to be held in or after the fall of 2019.
The third representative will be the runner with the fastest time from among those who surpass a standard time, set by the JAAF for each sex, in any of the designated races that will take place in Japan from the fall of 2019 to spring of 2020, according to the source.